Policy Objectives:  1) encourage and strengthen independent media news/entertainment programming; 2) save taxpayer dollars; 3) reduce National Debt; 4) encourage free speech/debate which are essential in a “free and democratic society” free from any suggestion of government interference.

        Policy Action Items: 1) defund CBC; 2) sell-off CBC assets to maximize return; 3) proceeds of CBC asset sale be applied to reduce National Debt; 4) stop media funding by eliminating media tax credits; 5) eliminated Canada Media Fund and Canada Periodical Fund; and 6) repeal the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) in its entirety.

It is so obvious, that we often forget that a free and democratic society can only exist to the extent that its people are free to exchange ideas and debate those ideas without fear of government interference or sanction.  In the Public Square, nothing guarantees that “truth will out” then the freedom to exchange and debate ideas, no matter how repugnant those ideas might be to one’s personal beliefs and opinions.

Truth is an Objective Reality

Truth, despite the Left’s claims to the contrary, is an objective reality.  2 + 2 will always equal 4.  There are only two biological sexes.  Killing of innocent human life is intrinsically evil.

Science, which by its very nature is never “settled”, is always open to a better understanding of reality.  As such, scientific enquiry can only be legitimately undertaken in an environment free from the restraints of “political” agendas—only constrained by such ethical norms as found in the Nuremburg Code.  One wonders how many scientific breakthroughs are not being made today because of institutional or ideological blinders preventing the questioning of status quo beliefs which support status quo funding?

The free exchange of ideas is the sine quo non to policy development in the public interest and not the interests of a particular political party or lobby.  There are far too many competing agenda and backroom dealings prevalent in government policy discussions.  The ability to freely criticize those discussions is paramount in insuring that such policies are in the public interest and that government is held accountable.

Political Parties, as much as government itself, i.e., the bureaucracy, have a vested interest in not only getting their narrative (spin) established, but more importantly in controlling that narrative.  Control the Press, you control the story.  Censorship isn’t only concerned with deleting opposing views, it is also very much concerned with ensuring that your version of events is seen to be the only explanation of reality which ultimately is then used to justify government “action” and control.  When only one version of events is offered as “truth”, that is called propaganda.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Which brings us to the CBC.   When the CBC was created in 1936, it was as a radio network that took over existing radio stations established by the Canadian National Railway.  CBC Television wasn’t created until 1952.  Since then, technology and demographics have rendered the CBC obsolete.

By any reasonable metric, today’s CBC is an abject failure.

Even if you put aside the CBC’s dismal viewership/listenership ratings, the CBC has such a marked left-wing bias that it doesn’t even meet its statutory obligations under the Broadcasting Act to “reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences”.

If you think this is an exaggeration, ask yourself when was the last time you saw a conservative or pro-life viewpoint news commentary programme or a programme that positively reflected Judaeo-Christian values, or celebrated Canada’s English/French heritage and founding?  Does the CBC produce such shows as “In conversation with Jordan B. Peterson” or how about “Canadian Conscience with Rex Murphy” or similar shows?  Of course, it doesn’t.

The CBC is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Club Laurentian and the house organ for the ruling elite.  The CBC not only needs to be defunded, its assets, including its lucrative real estate portfolio, needs to be sold off and the proceeds applied directly to reducing the National Debt.

Government Funding of Media

Similarly, as a free and independent press is essential to a free and democratic society, government has no business funding media.  Media reportage, if it is to be given any credibility, must be above reproach in terms of its funders and the expectation that necessarily arise from those funders.

In a free and democratic society, the media should compete for its audience/readership.  If you produce a good product, be it the proverbial better mouse trap or a newspaper of objective record, people will consume your product.  The real problem with the media in this country is very simple: the Legacy Media aren’t producing content that people want to buy, let alone read/listen to.  Moreover, the Legacy Media has long ago stopped reporting the “news” and instead have settle to be mere conveyors of the government’s récit de la journée.

Moreover, the threat of bureaucratic censorship via the CRTC requires that the Online Streaming Act be repealed in its entirety.  The current temper tantrums between Facebook and Google on the one hand and the federal government on the other are a sideshow.  The real agenda at work here is the complete control over “news” and the internet that Canadians have and don’t have access to.

The Media-Industrial Complex

It is not paranoia to understand that governments want to control what you read or see—the only way governments can effectively control the narrative is by controlling the means by which the narrative is published.  In other words, the best way to achieve control is through funding—he who pays the piper calls the tune!

The only way to expose the lies, falsehoods and fake news being pushed in the Public Square is by the free exchange of ideas and opinions and not by censorship or controlling the narrative.

United States President, Dwight Eisenhower, warned in his 1961 farewell address of the dangers of the “military-industrial complex”—the union of the arms industry and government which endangers freedom and the democratic process.

Sixty-two years later, that military-industrial complex has been mirrored in the media-industrial complex—a collusion between media and government that is so seamless that at times it is difficult to tell them apart.  Just as our current Prime Minister’s father once reportedly quipped that “the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation”; so too, might we quip that “the state has no business in the newsrooms or editorial boardrooms of the nation.”

Public Support for Media Defunding and Competition

Lest those in the Conservative Party get cold feet and think that media defunding is a “no go” amongst Canadians (because they get their “news” from the CBC!), a recent poll (July 13) by Angus Reid indicated that a majority of Canadians oppose government funding of media.  In addition, most Canadians believe that the consolidation of news outlets should be discouraged in order to maintain healthy competition in the industry.  Government defunding and competition are two objectives that resonate with voters.

When those in media and government already share a sympatico worldview, together with a tacit agreement as to the role and purpose of the state, it becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for the media to fulfil its essential purpose in a free and democratic society, namely, to hold those in power accountable.  The only way to ensure journalistic integrity in fulfilling its mission is ZERO government funding and competition for readership.  Clearly two objectives that a majority of Canadians are already in agreement with.